The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-03-11
TALMAGE's SERMON.
4 Telling Discourse on the sewell-
ing Of Jordan"


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Rev. I. De Witt Talmage, in . reoent
sermon 1t the Brooklyn Tabernacle, chose
for his subject 1.-THE Swelling Of Jordan"
taking for his text:
II thou hast run with the footmen. and they
have wearied thee, then how caust thou con-
tend with horses. And II In the land Of peace.
wherein thoa trustedst, they wearied thee. then
how will thou do In the swelling Of JoEdAa!-
Jeremiah xii, s.
Jeremiah had become impatient with
AS troubles. God says to him:
VT you can not stand these small trials
and prosecutions. what are you going to
dc when the greater trials and persecu-
lions comet II you have been running .
race with footmen and they have beaten
you, what chance is there that you will
outrun horses!"
And then the figure is changed. You
know, in April and May the Jordan over
flows its banks, and the waters rush
violently on, sweeping every thing before
them And God says to the prophet:
IF you are overcome with smaller
trials and vexations. which have assault
ed you. what will you do when the trials
and annoyances and prosecutions of life
come in freshctf'
If in the land of peace. wherein thou trust
edst, they wearcd thee. then how will thou do
In the swelling Of Jordant
HOW DO WITHOUT CHRISTI
ipropsse, il God will help me, IN q very
practical way to ask if it is such diff
cult thing to get along without the relig-
ION Of Jesus Christ, when things are COM
parativciy smooth. what will we do with
out Christ amid the overpowering misfort-
ubes and disasters of life that may come
upon US! If troubles, slow as footmen,
surpass US, what will we do when they
take the feet of horses! and If now in our
lifetime we are beaten back and sub
merged Of sorrows because we have not
the religion of Jesus to comfort US. what
will we do when we stand in death, and
We feel all around about US "the swell
Tag of Jordan!' The fact that you
have come here, my brother, my
sister. shows that you have some things
you believe in common with myself. You
believe that there is God. There is not
an Atheist in all this house. do not be-
licve there ever was a real Atheist in all
the world. Napoleon was on ships
deck bound for Egypt. 1t was bright
starry night, and as he paced the deck,
thinking of the great affairs Of the state
and of battle, he heard two men on deck
in conversation about God; one saying
there was a God and the other saying
there was none. Napoleon stopped and
looked up at the starry heavens, and then
he turned to these men in conversation,
and said:
Gentlemen, heard one Of YOU say
there is no God: if there is no God, will
you please to tell me who made all thatl"
Aye. if you had not been persuaded of
it before. you are persuaded of 1t now:
for the shining heavens declare the glory
of God, and the earth shows his handi-
work.
But you believe more than that; you
believe that there was a Jesus: you be-
lieve that there was a cross; you believe
that you have an immortal soul; you be-
lieve that it must be regenerate1 by the
spirit of God, or You can never dwell in
bliss eternal. think that great many
OF YOU will say that you believe it is i'm
portant to have the religion of Jesus
Christ every day of our life. to smooth our
tempers and purify our minds. and hold
us inperturbable amid all the annoyance
and vexations of life. You AMI l have
seen SO many men trampled down by mis-
fortunes because they had no faith in
Jesus. and you say to yourself:
''If they were SO easily overcome by the
trials Of life. what will it be when gre alter
misfortunes come upon them-heart-
breaking calami'ies, tremendous grlefsr'
ooh, If we have no God to comfort US
when our fortune goes. and we look upon
the grave of our children, and our houses
are desolate, what will become of us!
- &c 20
helped of God, going out to fight giants of
trouble; no Closet of prayer in which to
retreat no promise Of mercy to soothe
the soul. no rock of refuge in which to
hide from the blast. Or, when the swift
coursers OF trouble are brought up. champ
ing and painting for the race, and the reins
are thrown upon their necks. and the lath-
cred tanks at every spring feel the stroke
them! II. having run with the footmen.
horsesi
We have all yielded to temptation. We
have been surprised afterward that so
small an inducement could have decoyed
US from the right How insignificant
a temptation has sometimes captured
our soul! And. if this is so,
my dear brother, what will it be
when we come to stand in the presence Of
temptation that Frustrated David, and a
Moses. and a Peter. and some of the
mightiest men in all Gods kingdom! Now
we are honest; but suppose we were
placed in some path of life, as many OF
Gods children have been. where all the
forces of earth and hell combine to capt
ure the soul. Without Jesus We would SC
down under it II already We have been
beaten by insignificant footmen. we wou ID
be distanced 10000 leagues BY the horses
All. don't like to hear a man say:
81 could not commit such sin as that
can't understand how a man could be
carried away like that
You don't know what you could do if
the grace Of God lets you You know
what John Bunyan said when he saw a
man staggering along the street thor
ougly imbruted in his habits. He said:
There goes John Bunyan, bat for the
grace Of Godr'
lean say when see one utterly fallen:
There goes De Witt Taimage, but for
the grace of God.'
II we have been delivered from tempta-
ton il is because the strong arm of the
Lord Almighty has been about Us. and
not because we were any better than they.
1t is great folly TO borrow trouble. II
we can meet the misfertupss of to day we
will be able to meet the troubles of to
morrow: but suppose, nox- if through a
lack of the religion of Jesus, we ara
overthrown by small sorrons, does no,
our common sense teach US that we can
not stand up against great oness II we
can not carry pound. can we carry one
thousand pounds! If we are discounted
coming into battle with one regiment, a
brigade will cut US TO pieces. If we are
unfit to cope with one small trial, won {
we be overcome by greater onest II